Readers of the Seattle Times will recognize Andrew Garber’s name for the 13 years he’s spent covering the state Legislature for the paper. As recently as Friday, Garber was busy blogging about the operating budget.

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But that will soon change. As the Seattle Police Department announced Monday, Garber has been hired as a “Senior Media Advisor” at SPD. His first day will be March 26.

Reached for comment this afternoon, Seattle Police spokesperson Renee Witt says Garber will be advising the agency’s public information officers and the department on “current media strategies and best practices.” Any additional details on Garber’s role for the department were not immediately available.

Garber’s hiring comes at an interesting time for SPD. Operating under a Department of Justice Consent Decree, a badly mismanaged misconduct ruling, among other things, has left the appearance of a reform effort that’s flailing. (Something tells us Garber may be able to provide press conference tips for interim Police Chief Harry Bailey.) Meanwhile, Murray is expected to hire a new police chief by mid-April.

I left messages for Garber and with Times spokesperson Jill Mackie. I’ll update this post accordingly should they get back to me.